Hollow building unit for steel reinforced walls



Aug. 10, 1943. E F, W NN R 2,326,708

HOLLOW BUILDING UNIT FOR STEEL REINFORCED WALLS F'iled April 17, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 1' Aug. 10, 1943. E. F. WANNER HOLLOW BUILDING UNIT FOR STEEL REINFORCED WALLS 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17 g 10, 1943- E. F. WANNER 2,326,708

HOLLOW BUILDING UNIT FOR STEEL REINFORCED WALLS Filed April 17,1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 10, 1943 cause I stares "earth? OFFIQE i V eateries HOLE-9W BUILDHJG UNIT FGEt t I EEENFGRCED WALLS Edwin F. li anner, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor. to a National Fireproofing Corporation, Pittsburgh,

Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania. Y Assames April 17, 194e, Serial No. seems s-ciai s. (01. 72-41) This invention relatesto newand useful improvements in building units, more particularly to hollow tile, and'the method of forming building walls therewith. 7

It is a primary object of the invention to provide hollow tile units which adapt themselves to the construction of building walls of either plain or curved shape, having reinforcing ex tending vertically and/or longitudinally therethrough.

A further object of the invention is the construction of ahollow-tile of either single or multiple shells with a plurality of cross-webs having cut-out portions and other wall portions with lines of weakness to be fractured, whereby the tile can lie-adapted to accommodate reinforcing that is uniformly spaced with respect to adjacent tile units and which permits staggering the mortar joints in adjacent rows of tile-in addition'to laying the tiles in direct relation one over another. in the same position, producing straight verti 91 joints or block bond. 1

The units may be formed with face shells straight and parallel for walls, square, .T-shaped or rectangular buildings, storage'bins, containers, elevators, foundations, bulkheads or on the tangent section of any shaped structure or, with curved congruent faces for circular, oval, elliptical or other radial walls. f

. The invention will become more apparentfrom a consideration-of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which: 7

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a doubleshell tile unit embodying theprinciples of the invention, illustrating the adaptation of the unit for vertical and horizontal reinforcing;

Fig. 2 .is a top plan view ofaportlon of a building wall employing the unit of Fig. 1 and reinforcing elements; I

Fig. 3 is a similar View of an alternate course showing the relation of the tile cells to the reinforcing material to effect a staggered mortar 1 i Fig. 4 a cross-sectional view of a double shell tile unit;

Fig, 5 an end view of a portion of'a reinforced wall;

Fig. 6 a front elevational view thereof;

Fig. '7 a View in perspective of a curved segmental-shaped unit; and I Figs. 8 and 9 are top plan Views of a construction in which adjacent tile and the tile in succeedingcourses are laid on the normal side with the axis of the core opening, alternating from the horizontal to the vertical versa, .f I

With reference to the several figures of the drawings, the structuretherein illustrated composition, or vice prisesa building tile generally designated by the I reference numeral l, having an outer face shell Eandaninner face shell 3, opposite shells being shell-and the inner'shells of the tile.

As shown inF'igs. l and 5, the upper end ,ofjthe,

tilehas the cross-webs which is done while the tile is in the green state, 1 to form a U-shaped opening a, Fig, 5, for receivlng horizontally disposed reinforcing bars :9.

Where only a small amountof horizontal reinforcing is required it may bed'isposedin the mortar joint between adjacent tile, and in suchp cases the blocking out may be dispensed with In some walls no horizontal reinforcing will he required. V g l Asshown in Figs. 1 and 4, one of the end faces of the tile is not closedand forms'anend channel f to facilitate mountingthe tile around a vertical reinforcing member. To'eifect staggering of the vertical mortarjoirits in a walLa portion of the cross-web lis provided with deep notches, ll

known as ke'rfing, to "permit breaking away" a portion ofthe web," leaving. asound portion Ila, Fig, 1. When this opening is provided, either from a l'rerf'ed uni'tlor produce-d directlyin the" manufacturing process, the tile be moved, to embrace thevertical reinforcing rod, thus permitting horizontal s the staggered mortarioints.

The numeral l2 designates thevertical rein- As shown in Fig. 1, if thekerfed section of the cross-web A is broken out, the central cell will envelope the 'verticalreinforcing rod [2, but'as shown in Figs, 2 andfl', alternate vertical rows have'th'e end channels of thetlle, designated by the numeral [3, oppositely disposed; that is tov say, Fig. 2, shows-the end channels. 53 on the left'hand side, Viewed from the bottom of the drawings, with the kerfed portion of web l bro: kenaway to bring the reinforcing rod l2 in the central web of theltile unit, and in Fig. 3 the end channels H; are disposed in the opposite direction facing the righthand end of the wall, as viewed from the bottomof the drawings. In this way,

distribution of the reinforcing ribs.

plurality of short cross-webs 8 between the face e and Eiblocked out,

acingv of the tile, to produce To provide stiffness and protection for the vertical reinforcing, all the interior cells may be filled with cement grout or concrete which will then consist of a solid reinforced concrete or grout core wall with preformed interior and exterior single or double shell protective faces.

The wall may also be constructed with spaced concrete or grout columns by filling the cells only where the vertical reinforcing occurs. This is particularly adaptable to standard un-cut units, where the cells sides are uninterrupted so. that the grout will be retained in a vertical column. Where spaced columns are desired with blocked units, or in walls utilizing the principles shown in Figs. 8 and 9, certain cells must be closed with metal or paper gaskets to retain or confine the grout protection for the vertical and/or horizontal reinforcing, as required. The spaced columns are braced laterally with the horizontal reinforcing.

By the construction herein shown, which may be employed on curved tile as well as straight tile and on single shell instead of double shell tile, metal and concrete reinforced walls may be .rapidly constructed of square, rectangular, circular, oval or elliptical designs without the need of building form, and the invention adapt itself to fired clay tile or poured, extruded or compressed cinder, gravel, stone, haydite or slag concrete tile.

The tile may also-be employed for'separate,

interior and exterior wall units joined with metal or other fastening means to construct greater width of interior cores or spaces for concrete, in which case the tile units constitute the forms for the poured materials.

Fig. 7 shows a segmental unit having the same cell construction shown in the rectangular unit of Fig. 1. It. is employed in laying circular ,walls and vertical rods may be employed in the same zontal and circular units will differ with respect to the linear axis of the cell cores and two different units will be required.

It is evident from the foregoing description of the invention that tile units made in accordance therewith adapt themselves to the speedy construction of both vertically and/or horizontally reinforced wall structures, with or without concrete columns of selected areas running throughout the tile courses, the tile being especially adapted for the use of vertical reinforcing in walls with staggeredmortar joints without the need of threading the tile on the reinforced rods. The vertical rods may be embedded in a concrete base and used in standard lengths with additional top rods, if required, placed in the column of mortar formed in the construction of the wall.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in'the details of construction without departing from the principles hereinset forth.

I claim; I

l. A building block comprising parallel walls having a plurality of cross-webs joined centrally by a partition extending parallel to said walls,

7 said cross-webs being spaced to provide an open Figs. 8 and 9 show a wall construction employing. similar square-faced units laid with the cells in alternate vertical and horizontal position. The

units laid in the vertical position may also be formed as shown in Fig. 1 with portions of crosswebs 4, 5 and B recessed to providefor the horizontal reinforcing. The horizontal opening 9 will then be continuous since the alternate horizontal units are laid in position with channel 13 in the upright position; a

Fig. 8 shows one course of tile with the reinforcingrod l2 extending vertically through the cell of theunit. Alternate units have the cells vertically and horizontally disposed, and as shown in Fig. 9, whichrepresents an adjacent course, above course Fig. 8, the units may be staggered without interfering with the vertical rods l2. The numeral l4 designates concrete or grouting which may be selectively placed in the vertical cells to constitute reinforcing columns.

- This system'may also be employed for curved or circular wall construction; however the horichannel between the walls at one side of the block for vertical reinforcing members, and said webs and partition terminating short ofone end of the block to provide a channel for horizontal reinforcing members, the web constituting the base of the side channel being kerfed between the central partition and one wall for breaking out a portion of the cross-web to provide an 'l-shaped internal column.

2. A building block comprising walls ofdouble parallel shells joined by closelyspaced crosswebs to provide mortar locks, said double shells having widely spaced cross-webs and a central partition dividing thespace between said double 1 said 'web kerfed between thev central partition and one double shell wall for breaking-out said portion to provide an L-shaped internal column.

3. A building wall comprising superposed rows of blocks each comprising parallel walls having connecting cross-webs and a central partition joining said webs, said webs and partition being cut-out at one end to form a channel between the block walls, and said webs and partition terminating short of one side of the blocks to provide a vertical channel, the web constituting the base of the vertical channel being kerfed to break-out a portion thereof to provide aninternal L-shaped column to permit staggering of the blocks in. successive rows, horizontal reinforcing members disposed in the end channels and vertical reinforcing members disposed in said side channels, and mortar filling 'said columnsand channels. 7 A

' EDWIN F. WANNER. 

